1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to handheld controllers. More specifically, the present invention relates to detecting and preventing false positives in handheld controllers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently available handheld controllers include a variety of buttons, triggers, analog sticks, and other input components known in the art. An exemplary handheld controller is illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The illustrated handheld controller is the Sony PS3® Dualshock® controller that may be used with home entertainment devices or consoles, such as the Sony PlayStation®3 or Playstation®4. As can be seen from the illustrations, the handheld controller has a variety of input options that can be used by a player to provide direction to the associated console. For certain games, for example, the triggers may be used to activate weapons, while other buttons or analog sticks may be used to move game characters around the game environment.
Such handheld controllers may also be used to control actions with respect to a variety of media playable on the associated console. Such media may include movies, television shows, games, music, and other types of content known in the art. There are a variety of controls available in presently available entertainment consoles that allow for different control actions or changes to the media being consumed or played by the user. Each button, trigger, and other input option may be mapped to certain control actions with respect to the media being played. For example, the trigger buttons R2 and L2 illustrated in FIG. 1B may be mapped to actions for rewinding and fast-forwarding through a movie or other type of video.
Because a handheld controller is designed to be held, some complications may arise when users put down the handheld controller or otherwise handle them in uncontrolled ways. For example, a user may drop the handheld controller or toss the handheld controller onto an uneven surface. Such user actions may press or otherwise activate buttons, triggers, etc. on the handheld controller, thereby resulting in unintended control actions to occur with respect to the media being played. Referring to the example provided above, if the button L2 is activated in such a manner, the movie being played may being rewinding, which may be an inconvenience and annoyance to the user.
There is therefore a need for improved systems and methods for detecting and preventing false positives in handheld controllers.